Poroshenko will not run for President of Ukraine

In less than a year the elections for President of the country will be held in Ukraine. It means we can start looking closely at applicants for President's post, taking into account that many of them have publicly declared their intention to participate in the election race. However, it remains unknown whether the acting head of Ukraine Poroshenko will stand for a second term in office. This question is answered in the leaked e-mail of Poroshenko's Special Adviser and Speech Writer Oleg Medvedev, which has been addressed to President's wife Marina.

The message makes it clear that Petro Poroshenko has no intention of participating in the upcoming elections. Nevertheless, President's team has established 'their own' candidate for this post whose name remains unknown, unfortunately. Medvedev is actively engaged in advancement of Poroshenko's protégé. 'The candidate has not been unanimously accepted. But it has not been rejected either. I believe soon we will succeed in convincing all the doubters that it is the most acceptable person for this post in the current situation'.

Experts from APCO Worldwide Inc., the world famous public affairs and strategic communications consultancy firm that is usually hired to handle sensitive political issues, stepped in to help pull that off. President's adviser informs that 'the work will require actions on several fronts: public image cultivation both within and outside the country; media outreach, and so forth'. It is curious that according to the consultancy, a new candidate's name should be unaffiliated with the figure of the current President, 'otherwise, the victory in the first election round will be questionable'.

As for Poroshenko, he is not going to disappear from the political scene and will head one of the country's security agencies (SBU or NSDC), which allows him to have a direct influence on policies of Ukraine's future leader. Furthermore, according to Medvedev, Poroshenko's financial assets, properties and personal integrity remain inviolable. His right to personal integrity is especially interesting given that more than one criminal case is pending against him currently.

It is to be noted that according to sociological surveys, this year's rating of Petro Poroshenko has fallen to a record low practically in all regions of the country. During four years of his presidency he did not manage to fulfill his election pledges and improve the situation in the country: the war in the east of Ukraine is not over yet; corruption thrives in the upper echelons of power and the well-being of ordinary people is changing for the worse every year.